The Lost Princess
by Defying Popularity
Summary: Chpt. 5 finished! After falling into a parallel fairy tale world with her 2 friends & a stranger, Saiyuri, known as Princess Aurora in the fairy tale world, must find her way back to her father and grandmother while avoiding the evil queen. R&R please!
1. Prologue

Prologue

The palace was beautiful and very big. The little princess lay in her bed as she listened to her father as he told the story of the queen that she was named after. His voice went up and down with the different excitements and climaxes of the story. The king's blue eyes glittered as he smiled down at his daughter, her red hair lying in a braid as she looked up at him, her blue eyes wide with wonder and amazement.

"And the Princess Aurora danced the night away with Prince Phillip and they lived happily ever after."

"Tell me another one, Father. Please?"

"No, Aurora. It's time for bed."

"But I'm not tired, Father," she said, which was followed by a quiet yawn. The king chuckled, leaning down and kissing Aurora's forehead, making sure she was tucked in.

"Sleep now and I'll tell you any story you want to hear tomorrow."

"All right," she mumbled sleepily, closing her eyes. "Goodnight, Father."

"Goodnight, Aurora," he whispered, kissing her cheek and leaving the room.

The queen was nearby, watching as her husband left her stepdaughter's room. The queen hated her stepdaughter with a fiery passion that only past evil queens could know. She quietly walked into Aurora's room, going over to the bed. The queen's raven black hair was up in a tight bun and her dark, violet eyes gleamed as she looked down at Aurora's sleeping form.

"This is so perfect," she whispered, pulling out a poisoned needle from her robes, sitting down on Aurora's bed. "I'll poison the little brat in her sleep, and then once she's dead, I'll kill her father, then I'll have the throne and the kingdom to myself." She lifted Aurora's hand into hers and turned it over, Aurora's palm up. "Goodnight, little princess," she said, lifting her hand up with the needle in it, but as she was about to prick Aurora's finger with the needle, someone grabbed her arm. She looked up from Aurora, seeing her husband.

"What do you think you're doing, Azkadellia," he asked, pulling her away from the bed.

"I'm doing what you should've been done a long time ago, Cain."

"Azkadellia, you will not lay one hand on Aurora. You wouldn't dare."

"But I would. And I'm going to."

"No!"

Cain grabbed Azkadellia's arm and she began to fight him, trying to break free, but he threw her against the wall. Azkadellia landed on the floor and was out cold. Cain ran to Aurora's side, picking her up and wrapping her in a blanket and running out of the room, cradling her. As he ran, he stopped in front of one of the doors, pounding on it furiously. It opened, revealing the Captain of the Guard.

"It's time, Antony. Come."

Antony nodded, closing the door and running with Cain to a secret room in the cellar of the castle.

"Her Majesty finally went off the deep end, didn't she, Sire," Antony asked, taking Aurora in his arms as Cain began to look for something.

"Yes, Antony, she did. I must get Aurora away from this place."

"But where can you go? Her Majesty has those mirrors. She won't escape."

"There's one mirror that Azkadellia doesn't have," he said, taking a cover off of an object. It was a mirror with a black frame. Cain turned a knob on the frame, the mirror revealing a far off land, with cars and tall buildings that weren't like castles at all. This was an entirely different world.

"What is that place?"

"That is where you'll be taking my daughter and hiding her there until it's safe."

"What? No, Majesty, I couldn't. I can't raise your daughter."

"You have to! Otherwise, I won't have an heir to my throne. It's only until it's safe. Now, will you please sit down so I can explain this to you?"

Antony nodded, sitting on the floor, still holding the sleeping princess.

"Now, this place is called New York City. It's in a world that's parallel to ours. The people there are not ruled by a king and queen, but by someone called the President. There is different currency there and so for that currency, you must find a job to support you and Aurora. You must change Aurora's name." He handed some papers to Antony. "These are resumes, diplomas, leases and some money."

"What can I go for?"

"Police."

"Is that anything like us?"

"Yes, somewhat, but you have to be careful. You may battle some thieves and other scum, but you can't be too…"

"Fairy tale like?"

"Exactly."

"What about Aurora?"

Cain let out a deep sigh. This was going to be the hardest part of all. He knelt down in front of Antony and Aurora. Antony watched the king. He actually had tears in his eyes. He removed his necklace, which was the family crest, and placed it around her neck. A tear fell as he stroked her hair, leaning down, kissing her cheek. "Aurora, my darling daughter, this is for your own good. I had to save you from your wicked stepmother. She was going to kill you. I love you and when the time is right, you will return to me and your home here." In one swift movement, he moved his hand over her face, the tears falling faster now.

"What did you just do, Your Majesty," Antony asked as he watched.

"I have erased her memory of this place. The only thing she needs to be concerned with now is her father telling her stories," he said, looking up at Antony.

"What's her name now?"

"She shall be called…Saiyuri."

Antony nodded, looking down at the princess, especially at the necklace. "What if she asks about the crest?"

"Tell her it was her mother's."

"Yes, Sire."

Cain looked up, hearing the sound of running footsteps. "You must go. Now."

"What about you? Where will you go?"

"I have places where I can hide. I'll come to New York and ask for pictures of her every year to this day. Promise me you'll have some."

"Sire, I --"

"Promise me!"

"I promise, Your Majesty."

"Now, go! Now!"

Antony nodded, stepping through the mirror. His body traveled through nine other mirrors before landing in the park. He looked back and the portal shut off. He figured that Cain turned it off and recovered the mirror and hid before the guards came down the stairs. Antony looked down at the sleeping princess, sighing. Everything was changing so fast. His only hope was that no one else found the mirror.


	2. Twelve Years Later

Twelve Years Later

Twelve annuals had passed. Happily ever after didn't last as long as everyone had hoped. There were no more Snow Whites, Sleeping Beauties, or Red Riding Hoods; there were descendents. All of Snow Whites descendents were sons and Red Riding Hood's were daughters. However, there was one heroine queen who was still alive. A beautiful queen and she was over 200 years old. This queen proved that anyone could fall in love, even if you were a servant girl. This queen was Queen Cinderella. Cinderella had ruled over her portion of the Five Kingdoms when the great queens ruled over the land.

The Five Kingdoms were formed at the time of the greatest fairy tale heroines alive. All of the kingdoms had forests and dangers, but people who inhabited the forests were helpful as well. The First Kingdom was known for its vast forest, and yet in the forest was beauty; this kingdom was ruled by Queen Red Riding Hood. The Second Kingdom was the Troll Kingdom, and there for was dangerous for anyone who crossed paths with a troll. The Third Kingdom was known as the Dwarf Kingdom, for the cottage of the Seven Dwarves who cared for Snow White was there, along with mines where it was told that magic mirrors were made. Before it was known as the Dwarf Kingdom, it was known as Queen Aurora's Kingdom; for in the mines that the dwarves worked, there were dangerous ingredients for the sleeping spells that could 'kill' Aurora and Snow White. The Fourth Kingdom was the most famous kingdom of all. It was Snow White's kingdom. It was known as Snow White's kingdom because it was home of the Kissing Town and a few safe dwarf mines that made it safe for hiding.

The Fifth Kingdom was Cinderella's Kingdom, but there was something that had been troubling Cinderella for twelve years. Cinderella had a great grandson, who was the ruler of the Fourth Kingdom, and he had a daughter, who was her great-great granddaughter. Both had been missing for twelve years. The new queen, her great-great granddaughter's stepmother, was ruling now and she was threatening all of the Five Kingdoms with her quest to find Cain and Aurora.

Azkadellia was only a queen by marriage. She was evil for she had tried to kill Aurora on the night of her and Cain's, her father, disappearance and ever since that night, she hadn't seen them since. She paced in her room that was full of magic mirrors, looking at one of them. She was to ask the mirror her daily question, the most famous question in all of the Six Kingdoms. She smiled, looking at her reflection.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?"

Ever since Cain and Aurora's disappearance, the mirror would never lie. It would always say, 'My lady queen, you are the fairest of them all' and this would satisfy Azkadellia. But there was something different today. It was something that would change Azkadellia's happiness forever.

"My lady queen, you are fair to see, but there is someone far more fair than thee."

She looked at her mirror, her blood boiling and a jealous rage came over her, her fists clenched as she looked at her mirror's magical face.

"What do you mean, mirror? There is no one fairer than me!"

"In a world that is parallel is where you can find her."

"I don't understand. Be clear with what you say!"

"Azkadellia, my darling queen, I know where your stepdaughter has been."

Her eyes widened, her fists becoming unclenched as they rested on the mirror's frame.

"Explain to me, mirror."

"The one they call Princess has been in hiding in this parallel world for twelve annuals. The king put her there for safe keeping, saving her from you."

"Can you show her to me, mirror?"

The mirror went from reflective to an image of a girl of about twenty, sitting at a piano, playing softly, and her long red hair cascading down her shoulders as her blue eyes glittered as she smiled, looking down at the piano keys. She wasn't wearing clothes like the people in the Six Kingdoms. She was wearing a tight shirt and a knee length skirt with black boots and she was wearing a necklace as well. Azkadellia looked closer, almost falling over. It was the family crest.

"Mirror, tell me. Who took her out of the Six Kingdoms?"

"Antony, the captain of the guard."

Azkadellia sighed, beginning to pace again. "And what of her father? Do you know where he is?"

"I cannot see him, my queen. It's as if he cannot be seen."

"How can I get the Princess out of hiding?"

"The Princess is twenty annuals old, which means that Queen Cinderella will choose which one of you will be on the throne."

"Her coronation ball? That old hag is still holding a ball for the little brat?"

"The queen is angry, this I know. But I know where the queen should go."

"Where should I go, mirror?"

"The queen must go to the prison of Snow White, where the worst criminals are bound. That is where two trolls and a prince can be found."

An evil smile played across Azkadellia's lips. "Darien, the wolf prince of the Red Riding Hood Kingdom."

"Well, technically, he's half wolf."

"Still, he can be controlled," she said, looking towards the door. "Huntsman!"

The doors to the room opened and a tall, dark man walked in. He was about forty years old with shoulder length graying brown hair, wearing dark gray clothes.

"You called, my lady?"

"I need you to drive my carriage to the Snow White Memorial Prison. I need to make a little visit."

"Yes, my lady."

And with that, the two left the castle. The Huntsman got the carriage ready and helped Azkadellia inside, starting the long journey to the prison.

* * *

When Azkadellia and the Huntsman arrived at the prison, the prisoners they came upon begged to be pardoned and released. She ignored the cries until she came to a prisoner who was quiet and bowing before her. She turned, looking at him. 

"Arise, Wolf," she said, holding her hand out to him.

Wolf nodded as he stood, bringing his head up to face Queen Azkadellia. Everyone in the Five Kingdoms thought that the royal wolf family had been wiped out, but they had been in hiding. Prince Darien, who was also known as Wolf through out the Five Kingdoms, was only a half wolf, but he could've been as deadly as a full blooded wolf. He was believed to have been dead since the Huntsman killed his family some number of years ago. He looked at Azkadellia, smiling kindly, his brown eyes shimmering and his black hair dangling over his eyes.

"Your Majesty, what an honor this is! You're here and I'm…I'm in a cage," he said, scratching the side of his head like an actual wolf.

"Darien, Prince of the Wolves, what would you give me for your freedom?"

"Oh, anything, Your Majesty! I would give you a…a sweet rack of lamb that's so succulent! Of course, I would've eaten from it already, but anything for you, Your Majesty!"

"I could do without the rack of lamb, Wolf, but I want to give you your freedom."

"Oh, thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you," Darien said, his brown eyes changing to yellow for a brief moment. The Huntsman grabbed Azkadellia's shoulder, leaning his head down by her ear.

"He can't be trusted, my lady," he whispered, watching Darien as he whimpered, wanting to be freed from his prison cell.

"But he can, my dear Huntsman," she said, and then turned her attention back to Darien. "Wolf, in order for you to have your freedom, I need you to give your will to me. You must obey me, no mater what I ask of you."

"Anything for you, Majesty," Darien said, bowing before her.

She smiled, opening the door to Darien's cell and he stepped out, kneeling before her and kissing her hand.

"Come, Wolf. We have much to discuss."

"Wait, Your Majesty," someone said in a gruff voice. The three turned around, seeing two trolls walking towards them. The trolls were the worst feared creatures of the Five Kingdoms. They were horribly grimy and rambunctious, with big noses and their lower jaws stuck out more than sore thumbs. The trolls that were coming towards Darien, the Huntsman and Azkadellia were both boys, princes of the Troll Kingdom, and very dimwitted.

"I am Phury the Troll and this is my brother, Rhevenge the Troll. We are the sons of Relish, the Troll King, and we want to you help you, Your Highness."

She nodded. "Very well. Come along with us. I'll explain on the way back to my castle."

* * *

"So let me see if I'm hearing this correctly," Darien said, pacing about Azkadellia's mirror room. "You want us to go to this parallel world and claim it for you?" 

"And explore, my dear Wolf! There are a lot of pretty girls in this world. I have seen them in my mirror."

"Sign me up! I'm ready to go," he said, howling briefly, and then slammed his hand over his mouth, chuckling softly.

"Now, you two," Azkadellia said, looking at Phury and Rhevenge as she turned the knob on her traveling mirror, revealing the city. "I want you two to listen to whatever Wolf tells you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Phury and Rhevenge said in unison.

Azkadellia nodded, moving out of the way so Darien, Phury and Rhevenge could go through the mirror. "Step through one at a time. I'll see you when you return."

The three nodded and bowed, Darien going through the mirror first, then Phury, and then Rhevenge. The Huntsman watched the three disappear into the parallel world, wrapping his arm around Azkadellia's waist from behind.

"You didn't tell them to bring the Princess Aurora nor Antony back, my lady," he said softly, kissing the back of her neck.

"Well, if I know Wolf, he'll find her. Her scent should be easy to pick up. As for Antony…well, the trolls should recognize him. They'll bring him back here," she said as she smiled, feeling his lips on the back of her neck.

"How much longer until I can make you mine, my lady?"

"At least a month, my dear Huntsman, but when we rule the Five Kingdoms, nothing or no one will be able to stop us."

* * *

When Darien, Phury and Rhevenge finally landed in the park, they were aghast with all of the beautiful lights that illuminated the city. The sky was dark and there weren't any stars or a moon, but the lights from the buildings of the city lit up the sky. Darien inhaled deeply, catching three different female scents. He closed his eyes, listening for their voices. He latched onto three laughs and he smirked, his eyes turning yellow again. They were in the park and they were near their location. 

"What a beautiful kingdom," Phury said, looking around. "And so many different smells."

"Yes," Darien said softly. "So many…beautiful smells. How about you two go and explore the city? I'll look around here."

The trolls nodded, running off. Darien put his hands in his jacket pockets as he started walking down one of the paths in the park, taking in the new scents, aside from the female scents, that came to his nose until he caught a scent that was very different. This scent was a scent unlike any other. This scent was rich, filled with life and it smelled of roses that were being showered with a fresh spring rain. It was pure. It was good.

It was...royalty.

Soon, voices began to match the scents. The voice was full and sharp, percise of the right words she chose. Yes, it was one of the females. Two other scents accompanied hers, this royal female's scent. There was one with the scent of an artist's paint and the other smelled of apples, fresh apples and the both of them were females. The Queen was right; there were a lot of girls here. The only people who inhabited the park on this night were just these four: the wolf and the three girls, who were waiting to be devoured. Darien moved along the path, listening to the females' chatter and laugh, until he caught sight of them and he smiled, going into some nearby bushes to hide and observe the girls, just like the wolf he was.

The one who smelled like apples was shorter than the other two girls. She had short, spikey black hair, brown eyes and fair, creamy skin. A fair beauty who looked no more than eighteen, at least nineteen years old. She was sitting on the bench next to the second girl, who was drawing on a piece of canvas. The second girl, from what Darien could see, was a fair beauty as well, only she had shoulder length wavy brown hair, green eyes and was about nineteen years old as well.

The third beauty, the one with the scent of roses in a fresh spring rain, was the fairest beauty of them all, even the lovely queen that he had promised to serve. She was twenty years old, with long beautiful red hair and blue eyes, the most beautiful blue eyes that he had ever since. Darien began to whimper, watching the beautiful female twirl around as she dance around the bench that her friends were sitting on. She danced very gracefully, never afraid, and she never fell once. He scratched the side of his head, then he howled. The three females stopped doing what they were doing, looking around the park.

"Was it just me," the short one said, looking behind her in Darien's direction, "or did I just hear something howl?"

"It wasn't just you, Sara," the brunnette spoke, standing up, looking around. "I heard it too."

"God, you guys," the red head spoke, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. "I just felt the most errie chill go down my back."

Darien watched the girls, crouching down as low as he could get so he wouldn't be seen.

"Saiyuri, you're just being paranoid since you had that weird feeling in your dad's apartment today," the brunnette spoke again, getting her art supplies together.

"I'm sorry, Siobhan," she said, looking around the park. "I felt like I was being watched. You know how weird that feeling is."

"Yeah, Sio," Sara said, rubbing Saiyuri's back. "She's had a hard couple days. With the dreams and all."

"Let's just get out of here. That howl gave me the creeps."

The other two girls nodded in agreement, walking with Siobhan towards the city. Once they were out of site of the bushes, Darien emerged, smoothing out his jacket and began following the girls. This red head, this Saiyuri. There was something about her. Something that he just had to have. He followed the girls out of the park and to the street corner where a cross walk was. Saiyuri was so out of it, thinking about the feeling that she had earlier that day that she didn't notice that the crosswalk sign said 'Don't Walk.' She stepped out into the street and Darien looked up, seeing an oncoming car. He pushed through the crowd of people and grabbed her hand and as she turned her head to scream, he pulled her to him in one swift movement. The momentum of the pull caused Darien and Saiyuri to fall onto the sidewalk, Darien landing on his back with Saiyuri on top of him. They looked at one another as the crowd applauded at Darien's heroism, but Sara and Siobhan seemed to have been awe struck. Saiyuri offered Darien a kind smile, not moving. Darien looked up, seeing a glint of silver. He looked closer and his eyes grew wide. It was the royal crest of the house of White.

"Thank you," Saiyuri said, getting off Darien, then offered a hand to help him up. "You probably just saved my life."

"He did, Sai," Siobhan said, going over to her, patting her back, looking down at the stranger. "Are you okay?"

He looked at Siobhan and nodded, taking Saiyuri's hand gently into his own and stood up. "You're welcome, P..." He cleared his throat, looking at her. "You're welcome, miss," he said, taking her hand again, kissing it gently.

"Saiyuri," Sara said, coming over to the others, "I think you found your Prince Charming."

"Shut up, Sara," she said, then turned back to Darien. "I'm Saiyuri, and these are my friends, Sara and Siobhan. And you are...?"

"I'm Darien, but all of my friends call me Wolf."

"Well, Darien, you look like every other tourist from out of the country. Where are you from?"

_You don't even want to know._

Just then, Phury and Rhevenge came around the corner, terrorizing people. They saw Darien and the three girls and ran after them. The girls started to run back towards the park, Darien with them. Since he was half wolf, he was faster than most people. He caught up to Saiyuri, grabbing her hand to stop her.

"Excuse me, but we're trying to run here!"

"Come with me if you don't want to be tortured."

"What?! You can't be serious!"

"Please! Just trust me!"

"We hardly know you," Siobhan said, trying to push him away.

"Just come on," he yelled, running with Saiyuri into to the bushes, close to where the portal was.

"I don't know what you think you're playing at," Sara said, trying to catch her breath as she and Siobhan followed close behind Saiyuri and Darien.

"Just shut up and follow me," he growled, finding the portal, letting go of Saiyuri's hand and bowing before her, smiling. "After you...Your Highness."

Saiyuri stopped dead, looking at him, her eyes trying to read him as if she was trying to read his mind. "Y...Your Highness? Why be formal?"

"Just please go through the mirror, Your Majesty. I have no problem pushing you and your friends through."

"Okay, okay," Saiyuri said, rolling her eyes, stepping through the mirror first, then she was followed by Siobhan and then Sara. Darien stepped through, thinking that they would end up in Azkadellia's mirror room in her palace, but they didn't.

Once Darien came through to the other side, he looked around and Sara and Siobhan were fanning Saiyuri's face. She looked half sick, about to throw up after she got off of a carnival ride. Darien peeked his head outside of the cottage and realized that they were in Beantown, a small village that was in Red Riding Hood's Kingdom.

_This is definitely not where I thought we would end up._

"Well, thank you for taking us on an Alice in Wonderland experience, Darien," Siobhan said, looking at him with her hands on her hips. "Now, can you tell us where we are?"

"To be honest, no," he lied, "but I think we should go see if someone can tell us where we are."

"It's funny," Saiyuri said, standing up, "but I feel like I've been here before."

"Let's just follow him and find out where we are," Sara said, rubbing her forehead. "Please?"

Saiyuri nodded in agreement, stepping out of the cottage first, then was followed by Darien, Siobhan and Sara. The villagers were all gathering in the market for fresh vegetables and fruits for their lunches. The villagers turned around in Saiyuri's direction and they began to whisper and bow curtiously. Saiyuri looked at them, an eyebrow raised. Why were they doing this? It wasn't making sense. First, Darien called her 'Your Highness,' then they went through this portal that was a magic mirror, now everyone was bowing to her. This was so messed up. Then, a peddler child came up to her with a beautiful bouquet of white roses in her arms and she stopped in front of Saiyuri, curtseying politely.

"Welcome to Beantown, Princess Aurora," the small child said, handing her the bouquet.

"Princess Aurora," Sara and Siobhan said in unison, their jaws dropping as they watched for Saiyuri's reaction.

Saiyuri took the bouquet in her hands, closing her eyes. Everything was coming back to her now, her childhood memories being restored to her mind. She opened her eyes, smiling down at the child, then bent down to her level, kissing her forehead.

"Thank you, my dear, for the welcome and the flowers. White roses are my favorite."

The village cheered and a celebration began. Darien watched, his arms crossed. The Five Kingdoms had gotten their princess back. The only question was: How much did Princess Aurora really remember?


	3. Memories and Prophecy

Memories and Prophecy

It was well past midnight when the celebrations of Aurora's return finally died down for the night. The children were snug in their beds, as were the parents and other adults of the village, but in a small inn, Aurora lay in her bed, her hands behind her head, not tired at all. So many thoughts were dancing through her head; it was all happening so fast. One minute, she was in New York, being rescued by this Darien guy, running from trolls, then she was here, being honored with the finest food and being offered gifts that she could never dream of. She sighed, sitting up, rubbing her eyes. She had memories of her father, telling her stories of the queens before her, but none of her stepmother. She began to wonder if she was really the person that everyone thought she was. There was a soft knock on the door.

_I swear if that's one more person coming in here to offer me another pillow, I'm going to throw one of the six that I already have at them._ "Come in," she said, tying her hair back.

The door opened slowly, revealing Darien at the door, peeking his head in. "May I come in, Your Highness?"

"Please, don't call me that, and yes you can come in, Darien."

He nodded, stepping in and shutting the door. "I just thought that I would tell you that Sara and Siobhan are sleeping soundly in their rooms and I was getting ready to go to bed. We'll have to get an early start tomorrow morning. Queen Red Riding Hood the Fourth wants to meet with you."

"She does? What will I wear? I don't have any clothes with me."

"Well, I was thinking that we would leave at dawn so we wouldn't draw attention to ourselves and just go on foot."

Aurora nodded. "That sounds okay, I suppose."

"Well, it's your call, Aurora. I'm not going to override your decision."

"Darien, it's not like that at all. It's just that…one minute, I'm just another person in New York, an almost starving actress, the next, I'm here in this fairy tale kingdom and the only recollection of this place that I have is my biological father." She sniffled, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't even know who I am, Darien. I want to be Saiyuri, but I can't. I'm Princess Aurora." She began to cry softly, holding her head in her hands.

Darien didn't know what to do. He was just standing there, watching the most beautiful person in the Five Kingdoms cry her eyes out because of a loss of identity. He went over to her slowly, sitting on her bed and taking her in his arms, letting her cry on his shoulder, her warm tears leaking onto jacket as she cried.

"I shouldn't be using you as a tissue, Darien."

"It's all right, Aurora. I don't mind at all."

Eventually, her tears slowed and she brought her head up and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, looking at Darien.

"I'm sorry. I must look like crap right now."

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me. I still think you're beautiful."

She looked at him, smiling softly.

"There's that beautiful smile I've been waiting for," he chuckled, patting her hand.

She chuckled as well, smiling a bit more. "So do you have any stories for me?"

"Well, can you keep a secret?"

"Are you kidding? I'm a very good secret keeper," she stated proudly, grinning and moving over on the bed so Darien could sit beside her.

"Do you know why everyone calls me Wolf," he asked, fiddling with his hands, as he moved to sit beside her.

"No," she said, looking at him.

Just then, Aurora felt something touch her arm. She looked down, seeing something that was gray and white...and furry.

"Oh, my God," she said, looking at him and the furry object, then back up at him. "Is that…a tail?"

He nodded, scratching the side of his head, his eyes briefly turning yellow, whimpering softly.

"You're…you're really a wolf…aren't you?"

"Well, half wolf, but when full moon comes around, you definitely don't want to be around me. I usually hide around that time."

"Then…how did you find the mirror?"

_Oh, no. What do I do now? If I tell her the truth, she'll run away with her friends in the middle of the night. She doesn't know her way around the kingdom. She'll get lost…or hurt. _"Well, to be honest, I was in jail and I was released," he lied, lying on his back, looking up at the ceiling. "I came here and literally stumbled through it."

"So it was you that howled at my friends and I?"

He nodded, a little embarrassed.

"What were you in jail for?"

"Sheep worrying. In case you haven't noticed, people aren't really that fond of wolves."

"Oh, well…that I can understand. Is there anything else I should know about," she asked, looking down at him.

"Well, do you know why everyone was so happy that you returned? It was because of the Prophecy."

"I have a prophecy?"

"Yes. The Prophecy says this: 'Two queens inhabit the Kingdom of White. One is by marriage, the other is by blood. One is evil, yet the other is good. Poison is the way the evil queen will strike and that is how the rightful queen shall defeat her. The One who is queen by blood will return twelve annuals after her disappearance, one month before the coronation of the throne of White.' After that, my memory's a little vague with the Prophecy, but that's the general idea of it."

"So, my stepmother is the queen by marriage?"

"Yes."

"And I have to defeat her someway while using some kind of poison?"

"Pretty much."

She sighed heavily. "I can't do that. I don't have enough guts to do it."

"You'll figure something out," he said, looking down at his tail, which was now in her lap. "Do you want to touch it?"

She looked at him, her eyes wide. "What?"

"My tail. Do you want to touch it? It's just like a dog's tail."

She giggled, placing her hand nervously on the tail, moving her hand against the grain. Darien gasped, shuddering and whimpering.

"What?"

"With the fur, not against it," he said, scratching the side of his head.

She laughed, now moving her hand with the fur. He sighed contently, closing his eyes.

"So do I have any other relatives?"

He nodded, smiling softly as she continued to pet his tail. "You have two grandmothers, Snow White and Cinderella."

"Are they still alive?"

"Well, Cinderella is. She's the one who's planning your coronation ball at your father's palace in the Fourth Kingdom. Snow White, however, passed away a number of years ago."

"Well, what about my father? Is he still alive?"

"Yes, but he's been missing since Antony took you away to that place where I found you."

"Oh, no! My…well, my adoptive dad. I forgot all about him! I didn't tell him where I was going!"

"He's fine. He should know by now. He'll come here," Darien said, standing up. "If you need me, I'll be sleeping under the stars."

"But the innkeeper saved a room for you."

"I'm a wolf, Aurora. I like sleeping outside," he said, opening the door. "Sweet dreams."

She smiled, watching him shut the door, laying on her bed and closing her eyes.

Meanwhile, back at Azkadellia's palace, Azkadellia was pacing around her mirror room, waiting for Darien and the trolls to come back through the mirror. She went over to the other mirror, looking at it.

"Mirror, talk to me. Where is Wolf?"

"He is back in the Five Kingdoms, my queen."

"What? But how can that be? He stepped through the traveling mirror here. Where is he now?"

"I don't know, my queen. I can't see them."

She sighed. "Well, we'll try making contact with him tomorrow. I'm much too tired to deal with this mess tonight."

Just as she said that, Phury and Rhevenge stepped through the traveling mirror and they weren't alone. They had an older man with them. He was at least in his forties, wearing a NYPD uniform and he was barely conscious. Azkadellia smiled, going over to the trolls.

"Who have you brought me," she asked, standing in front of them.

"Someone to might spark some memories," Phury said, grinning as he pulled the cop's hair, making him look up at the queen.

Azkadellia smiled, looking down at him. "Well, well, well. What have we here? If it isn't my former Captain of the Guard, Antony."

"Azkadellia, it's lovely to see you again. What has it been, twelve years?"

"You know how many years it's been, Antony. Now, where is Princess Aurora?"

"To be honest, I have no idea."

"Oh, you little liar. She's in the kingdom, isn't she?"

"I don't know, Azkadellia. Honestly, I don't."

She smirked, looking at the trolls. "Take him down to the dungeons and chain him up. I'll send the guards down there in the morning to have a little fun."

The trolls smirked, dragging Antony out of the mirror room and down to the dungeons. The Huntsman came in, a proud grin on his face.

"Shall I go and begin the search for the Princess now, my lady?"

"No, Huntsman. I'll send you when I'm ready. Now, go to bed. We'll have a long day tomorrow."

The Huntsman nodded, bowing before Azkadellia and leaving the room. Azkadellia smiled happily in the mirror, going to her room. Soon, she would be the fairest of the all once again.


	4. Escape

Escape

The next morning was a brutal wake up call for Aurora and her friends. She awoke very early, the sun just coming up over the horizon, thinking about Antony and her father. She couldn't believe that she had left Antony in New York and didn't say a word to him about her leaving. She thought about her friends, Siobhan and Sara, who were pulled from the only world they knew to this magical land where all of these fictional fairy tale characters were real and two of them were her grandmothers. She thought about Darien and how sweet he was last night. She was prepared for the long journey ahead and she was going to find her father at all costs. There was a rapid knock on her door that she almost screamed, going to answer it, seeing a frantic Darien in the hallway with Siobhan and Sara, scratching his head.

"Darien, Sio, Sara, what's going on," she asked, looking at Darien.

"We have to go, Aurora," Siobhan said, tying her hair back. "Now."

"Why? What's going on?"

"The Queen knows that you're here. The guards are coming for you and your friends," Darien said, looking at her. "We have to go right now."

Aurora nodded, fear pulsating through body as she pulled one her clothes. Siobhan came in to help her, shutting the door.

"I still don't trust Wolf, Aurora," she said, quickly braiding her hair for her. "There's just sometime about him that I don't like."

"Could it be the fact that he's half wolf?"

"No, I think it's something else. I'm just getting a vibe from him. I don't like it; it's scaring me."

"I'm sure it's nothing, Sio. Remember, he's helping us through this kingdom," she said, pulling her shoes on.

"That may be true, but just don't fall in love with him, since you're a princess."

She laughed, opening the door to the room, Sara pacing the floor as Darien was leaning up against the wall, waiting for them.

"Come on, we have to go," he said, grabbing Aurora's hand and running down the hall with her, Sara and Siobhan trailing behind him.

The four companions ran out of the inn and into the village, following the trail out of the village and into the woods. The morning sun shined bright upon the trees and grass of the woods, the morning dew setting upon them. They ran until they were out of sight of the village, hearing the gallops of horses and the shouts of the guards nearby.

"Any idea where we are, Darien," Sara asked, sitting on a tree stump, trying to catch her breath.

"We're in the First Kingdom, the kingdom of Red Riding Hood. This is wolf territory, so we'll have to be careful."

"But you're half wolf," Siobhan said, sitting on the ground, looking up at him. "How can we trust you?"

"Siobhan…" Aurora said, glaring at her.

"I'll be able to stop the wolves, Miss Siobhan," he said, looking down at her, sniffing the air. "There aren't any wolves in this area, but I suggest that we keep moving that way the guards don't catch up with us."

The girls nodded in agreement, standing up and starting to move. They walked the rest of the way, Aurora trailing behind the other three, thinking about her father, absentmindedly touching her necklace. They walked for what seemed like an eternity, eventually stopping to eat, and then continued on their way until the night, setting up camp in a clearing. Siobhan and Sara fell asleep almost immediately, lying by the fire. Darien, however, was nowhere to be found. Aurora got up from the fire, going to find him. She did eventually, almost missing him. He was lying in some tall grass, staring up at the stars.

"Mind if I join you," she asked, lying down beside him as he looked over, his eyes yellow, then went back to brown.

"Not at all," he said, watching her as she lay down in the grass, looking up at the sky.

"I've never seen the stars so clearly before," she said, looking up at the countless consolations, smiling.

"Yeah, this is what I do every night; sleep under the stars."

"Living in the city, I didn't get to see the stars that much, but I wished that I could. Now…this is going to sound corny, but my wish as come true."

"Yeah," he said, turning over on his side to look at her, smiling. "You forget; this is a fairy tale world. Being corny doesn't matter."

She chuckled, looking over at him. "How far are we from the Snow White kingdom?"

"I'd say a week or two. Depending on how many stops we make. Your coronation's in two weeks so we'll have to try and get to the palace in time."

"Do you think you can find my father?"

"I'm hoping that we can find him. If not, I'm sure that he'll be at the coronation."

"I would give anything to see him again," she said, looking over at him.

He looked deep into her eyes, placing a hand on her cheek, stroking her cheek gently with his thumb as she looked into his eyes in return.

"We'll find him, Aurora. I promise," he said softly, his eyes trailing down, looking at her luscious lips and voluptuous body. "I can promise you a lot more."

She watched his eyes move down her body, her hand on the arm that was supporting him. "Like what," she asked softly, looking up at him.

He smiled, leaning down slowly, tucking her hair behind her ear, closing his eyes. There was a howl in the distance and he perked his head up, growling softly.

"What is it," she asked, looking up at his reaction.

"That howl came from the campsite," he said, jumping up and running towards the camp.

Aurora rolled onto her stomach, and then got up, running after him. She stopped as he pulled her down into the bushes, seeing about six or seven wolves surrounding Sara and Siobhan's sleeping form.

"What are we going to do," she asked, looking at Darien.

"You're going to stay here. I'm going to protect them," he said, jumping out of the bushes in front of the wolves, growling.

Sara and Siobhan both awoke with a fright, but as they were getting ready to scream, Darien turned, his eyes a blazing yellow and fang elongating.

"Don't scream," he growled, turning back to the wolves. "Aurora is right next to you in the bushes. Make your way to her slowly and run. I'll find you."

The two girls nodded, slowly scooting toward Aurora as the wolves surrounded Darien now, growling at him. Once they were safe and out of the way, they took off in a dead run, running to another clearing, trying to catch their breath.

"I'm going back," Aurora said, standing up.

"The hell you're not," Siobhan said, grabbing her hand to stop her. "You're going to get caught, or worse, killed." 

"He's risking his life to save us, Siobhan. I have to go back and make sure that he's all right."

"No, Aurora," Sara said, taking her by the arm. "Sit down, please. He said that he would find us."

She sighed, sitting down, and then laid down in the grass, looking up at the stars.

While limping back to the girls, Darien wiped the blood from his leg, wincing some. He stopped by a small puddle, dipping his hand in it and placed it on the wound, applying pressure.

"Hello, Wolf," a familiar voice spoke from the puddle. He looked down, seeing Azkadellia's face in the water. He gasped, falling backwards, taking a sharp intake of breath.

"Go away," he said, slowly sitting up, wincing. "Leave me alone."

"Why can't I see your companions," she asked while she paced her mirror room, looking at him.

"I'm not telling you anything about them."

"Them? So there's more than one?"

"There might be," he said, trying to ignore her. "I'm not telling you."

"Where's the princess?"

He tensed up, not looking at the puddle.

"She's with you, isn't she," she asked, grinning evilly.

"No, she's not," he said, standing up. "I want you to leave me alone."

"You forget, my dear Wolf. I control you," she said, turning her back on her mirror and her image faded from the puddle.

Darien breathed a heavy sigh. He felt bad for Aurora. When she finds out who he was working for, she would leave him forever. He thought of her beautiful face, body and eyes and thought about how her lips would feel against his, so soft and so warm. He sniffed the air, immediately finding her scent and he followed it, seeing her and her friends in the clearing. He let out a whimper and he saw Aurora perk up and he limped to her, wincing.

"Oh, my God," she said, running to him, taking his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, supporting him.

"I'm fine, Aurora. Really."

"No, you're not," she said, gently setting him down on the ground, making sure he was leaning up against an embankment, looking at his leg.

"Please, Aurora. Don't baby me. I'm really fine."

She looked at him, lying on the embankment beside him, looking at the stars. "I was going to come and look for you. Make sure that you were okay, but…Sio and Sara wouldn't let me."

"It was a good thing. It was pretty bad," he said, his arm around her shoulders. "I'll be fine, though. Being half wolf and half human, I tend to heal pretty quickly."

She nodded, gently resting her head on his shoulder. "I don't want you to get hurt. You're the only one knows the kingdoms."

"You would be able to find your way without me."

"What if I don't want to," she asked sleepily, closing her eyes.

He looked down at her, seeing how tired she was. "Then I'll stay," he whispered, holding her close, keeping her warm, watching her sleep as he looked up at the stars again.

Meanwhile, back at the castle, Azkadellia was pacing her mirror room, looking at her Huntsman.

"So, what's the word from Wolf," he asked, watching her movement, seeing a smile.

"He said 'them,' which means that there's more than one person with him. One of them is the princess."

The Huntsman grinned, getting up and wrapping his arms around her. "Do I leave in the morning?"

She nodded, kissing his cheek. "They're in Red Riding Hood's Kingdom, but they're going to be in the troll kingdom tomorrow. Follow them and try to get her alone. If you do, bring her to me. Alive."

He nodded, kissing her lips. "Yes, My Lady," he said, letting her go and leaving the room.

She smiled happily, watching her Huntsman leave. Soon, Aurora would be her prisoner and soon, her prisoner would be dead.


	5. The Huntsman's Quest

The next morning, at dawn, the Huntsman set out from Azkadellia's castle, going by steed to the Second Kingdom. When he got to the border between the Fourth and Second Kingdoms, he was immediately greeted by to trolls who were guards to the Troll King, who they called Relish. The two trolls stopped him, holding the horse by its reins.

"What business do you have in the Troll Kingdom," a troll asked, looking up at the Huntsman.

"I'm hunting…by orders of Queen Azkadellia," the Huntsman replied, looking down at the troll.

"Azkadellia told me to expect you," another voice said, coming from the trees.

"Who's there," the Huntsman asked, drawing a dagger.

Soon, another troll became visible. He was invisible. He was wearing magical shoes and he slipped them off, magical sparkles and glitter surrounding him. He appeared from the trees, wearing a mixture of body armor and rags and a crown atop his head, his hair ratty and graying. The Huntsman nodded to him, recognizing him immediately.

"Relish," he said, dismounting his horse, going over to him, putting his dagger as the two guards stepped away from him so he could speak to Relish. "You've been expecting me?"

"Azkadellia said that you would give me the details."

"The Princess Aurora has been found."

"No…"

"Yes."

"Is that why she has my two sons at her castle right now?"

"Well, yes, that's partially the reason, but they also brought her someone else. They found Antony."

"You mean the guard that snuck her out of the Five Kingdoms?"

"Yes, Relish. Darien, the Wolf Prince, has supposedly found the Princess and she has brought two companions with her."

"Do you have any idea where they are?"

"Well, Azkadellia found Wolf last night in Red Riding Hood's Kingdom. I assume that they are still in that Kingdom, but will be making their way through here. I'm pretty sure they're trying to get to the Fourth Kingdom."

"Well, that's no surprise. Her coronation's in a mere thirteen days. That's not much time to get through four kingdoms, unless they don't stop."

"Exactly. I imagine they are stopping to eat and sleep, but they're going to try and keep moving as much as they can."

"What about these companions of hers? Are they royalty as well?"

"I believe not. They came with her through the traveling mirror, but somehow, they ended up in Beantown when they should've ended up in the mirror room of Azkadellia's castle."

"That doesn't make sense. Has Cain been found yet?"

"No, and the images of the travelers with Wolf cannot be seen either. We don't know why, but we do know that there's more than one."

Relish nodded. "Do you need my forces?"

"No. I need my cottage. I have a feeling I'm going to be getting one of Wolf's companions today or tonight."

He nodded. "You may pass, Huntsman. Good luck in your hunting."

The Huntsman nodded, going back to his steed, mounting it and galloping off towards his magical cottage. Relish and the two guards watched him gallop off, Relish's arms folded across his chest.

"You honestly don't plan on letting him find Wolf and these companions of his, do you, my king," a guard asked, looking at him.

"Of course not. You two, go onto the trail that leads to the border of the First Kingdom. When you find Wolf and his companions, hit them with a bit of troll dust."

The trolls nodded, grinning fiendishly, heading off to the border of the First Kingdom.

Back in the First Kingdom, Aurora was sleeping under Darien's arm, her hand on his chest, breathing slowly. Sara and Siobhan looked down at the two, their hands on their hips, lifting an eyebrow. As Darien had said, his wounds healed during the night. He was sleeping as well, his leg twitching as he whimpered in his sleep, dreaming that he was chasing after a flock of sheep. Siobhan and Sara looked at one another, and then they both kicked Aurora and Darien's shoes, both of them waking up almost immediately. Aurora groaned softly, sitting up and stretching, rubbing her eyes, smiling somewhat at Darien. He smiled back and Siobhan rolled her eyes.

"I thought you wanted to keep moving, Darien," she said, looking down at him.

"I do. Sorry I slept so late. You're not the one who was fighting off wolves last night to save your asses."

"Darien," Aurora said, standing up, going over to Siobhan, and pulling her by the arm. "Excuse us," she said, pulling her a good distance away from them.

"What the hell, Aurora," Siobhan asked angrily, pulling her arm away from her, placing her hands on her hips.

"Can't you be a little nicer to Darien? After all, he is helping us."

"No, he's helping you. Sara and I are not part of this fairy tale world that you belong to. In fact, Your Highness, I don't think we're even friends anymore."

"Siobhan, you and Sara have been my friends since grade school. How can you say something like that? I can't believe you."

"Yeah, well, there are some things that I can't believe you about."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying say --"

"Aurora! Siobhan! Look out," Darien's voice came from across the clearing as he was trying to run to them with Sara trailing behind.

Just then, flying pink balls of glittery dust were flying at them. Aurora grabbed Siobhan's hand, running with her into the forest, trying to escape, but the balls kept coming at them. Aurora continued to run, holding onto Siobhan's hand. Suddenly, she felt weighed down. She looked back, seeing the pink glittery dust covering Siobhan and she went down like a ton of bricks.

"Siobhan, this isn't the time to lie down," she yelled, trying to wake her.

"Get her," a gruff voice yelled and two trolls jumped out of the bushes and started for Aurora.

She dropped Siobhan's hand, taking off in a dead run, running through the trees deep into the woods. _Darien will find me. I know he will_, she thought, continuing to run. She crouched down deep into some bushes, hearing the trolls coming closer, breathing slowly, even though her chest was heaving. Why was everyone after her? Did this evil queen hate her this much? Once the forest was quiet again, she stepped out of the bushes, looking around, wondering where she was. She made her way back up to the main path, looking up at the sky. It was afternoon. She didn't know which way to go so she started walking ahead, in the opposite direction from where she had left Siobhan. She prayed that she wasn't hurt or worse, dead. She placed her hands on her arms, rubbing them up and down her arms, just walking. She thought about stopping and eventually she did, leaning up against a tree, closing her eyes.

"Hello, Princess," a rough voice said from behind the tree.

She gasped, turning around stepping away from the tree and the queen's Huntsman emerged from behind it.

"Stop," he said, holding a knife. "Please, don't make me cause bodily harm to you."

"Who are you?"

"I am…the Huntsman."

"Oh, hell no. Not the queen's Huntsman."

"Precisely, Princess. Now if you'll please come with me --"

"Hell, no," she said, getting ready to run, and then something hit her in her back. She felt her body go limp and get heavy and she collapsed, the Huntsman catching her. He placed her upon his steed, taking her back to his small, yet hidden, cottage, smiling that his hunt was complete.


End file.
